The Alamo and the Making of Texas Don Holder, LTG, US Army (re4red) 2015 Diamond6 Leadership and Strategy, LLC
Historical Overview Purpose: Consider leadership through three presentations focused on the Alamo the crisis, the battle, and its sequel. Emphasis is on leading For Mexico, it s Santa Anna and his subordinates opnl, tactical, strategic For Texas, it s contentious from start to end even after San Jacinto There are leadership lessons at every stage from enterprise to tactical levels.
The Crisis of Mexican Texas Leading in Chao;c Situa;ons Building Coopera;on in a Divided Group Handling Time Constraints
The New Republic, 1821 Post-Revolu4onary Mexico Mexico City to: Los Angeles 1,550 miles Santa Fe 1,200 miles San Antonio 850 miles A Heterogeneous Popula;on with Vast Differences in Aspira;ons and Circumstances
Cultures in Conflict Nationalism and Manifest Destiny Sectionalism Religion Classes and Economics Post-Revolutionary chaos with several attempted coups (Medina River, Tampico, Coahuila, Zacatecas)
Leaders and Factions Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna Conservatives Liberals (e. g. Farías)) State Leaders (e.g. Seguin) Spaniards, Creoles, Mestizos, Indios
The Dilemma of Mexican Texas Hos;le Tribes Tejanos and Texians The Neutral Ground Illegal Immigrants Ranching & Farming
Leadership and Factions Seguín, Austin, Houston: first, second and third wave settlers Shared and Differing Interests, Principles, Values
Tensions in El Norte Illegal Immigration and Slavery The Neutral Ground Fredonia (1827) and Anahúac (1832, 1835) Terán s Boundary Commission, 1828-29 As one travels from Béxar to [Nacogdoches], Mexican influence diminishes, so much so that it becomes clear that in this town it is almost nonexistent... the ra;o of the Mexican popula;on to the foreign is one to ten... Terán s Report
Texas in 1835 Burgeoning, divided Anglo Population Economic upsets in the USA Alarmed by the Law of April 6, 1830 Aligned with federalists Separated from Coahuila, reduced to three districts No agreed Texian leadership
Leadership in Chaos & Crisis What are the most important senior leadership responsibili;es in a chaos or crisis? What op(ons lay before Santa Anna? What op(ons did the Texians have? In chaos and in crises execu;ve leaders are both constrained and freed for radical ac;on. How can they prepare for such situa;ons? What are their unique responsibili;es in such cases?
Backups
The Crisis of 1835-1836 Constitutional changes Crises at Gonzales and Bahía (and Zacatecas) Battles of Concepción and Béxar Expulsion of Cos from Béxar Consultation at San Felipe Divided Leadership in Texas Strong But Fragile Leadership in Mexico
Organization Setting and Leaders Tensions in the Republic The Crisis of 1835 Leadership Issues Some historians regard the Mexican defeat in the Texas Revolu;on as one of the most influen;al developments in the emergence of the USA as a regional and, eventually, a world power.
Typical Challenge Entrenched groups with vested interests, Aspiring or aggrieved parties, Potential winners and losers, Controversy and debate, High costs of continuing the old or adopting the new, Fear, uncertainty, and bad information, Politicization, Tendency to revert to outdated solutions All of these relate to corporate culture. What s yours?
Enrique de la Pena With Santa Anna in Texas [The enemy] expected us to march on Goliad, the key position that would have opened the door to the principal theater of war. In fact, we should have attacked the enemy at the heart instead of weakening ourselves by going to Béjar, a garrison without any political or military importance. This was the opinion of all the military, and the commander in chief heard it from all [his senior leaders]; but he was not willing to gain the devotion of his subordinates by persuasion and by convincing them; he disdained their approval and contented himself with their obedience.
The Campaign
Texas in 1835 N F B G S A
Frontier Land Grants Hos;le Tribes The Neutral Ground Tejanos and Texians Ranching & Farming Illegal Immigrants
The Mexican War of Independence 1810-1821 1810-1821 Long, Diffuse, Complex Post Revolutionary Turmoil: Royalists, Centralists, Federalists Santa Anna emerged as a hero after Tampico Post Revolutionary Army comprised royalists/separatists Control of the northeastern frontier remained tenuous